Chapter 1929 Under the Lion's Claw (11)

  In 1642, Captain Benning Kirk, the shooter captain, and his team members each offered 100 guilders and asked Rembrandt to draw a collective portrait. At that time, the civilian army no longer had wars to fight and became a social club for the wealthy citizens. They were keen to ask painters to give pictures of themselves to show their martial arts, and these well-dressed and well-dressed young people were also quite popular. Favor of the citizens. Captain Banning Kirk saw the portrait painted by Rembrandt for Pastor Anslow and his wife. He liked this kind of painting very much, and the aesthetic appeal of the members of the Self-Defense Forces was roughly the same. They hoped that Rembrandt would be They painted a group portrait.

  According to general requirements, this type of commissioned painting needs to arrange the drawing objects in order of official position. However, Rembrandt did not create this painting according to the client's request. If he did that, the picture of the painting would be very rigid. The characters in Rembrandt's final paintings are arranged naturally, and each person has a different posture and expression, and the light has different expressions in various parts of the picture. The composition uses a technique close to the stage effect, which not only allows everyone's image to appear on the screen, but also arranges them in a patchy manner, with strong contrast between light and dark, rich in layers, and full of drama.

  But the buyers were not satisfied. They each paid 100 guilders just to show themselves? The patrols protested to the painter because they paid the same money but couldn't have the same status in the painting, and the painting was also refused. In order to recover the commission, the Association took the matter to court.

Rembrandt used his wife as a model and painted many controversial religious history paintings. He was heavily attacked in court. Even if the lawsuit was won in the end, his career suffered a severe setback, and he has since embarked on it. Downhill. Before long, his wife also passed away, and under the double blow, he made up his mind not to cater to the buyer's appetite and paint what he wanted.

  The color of his later paintings is dim. In addition to his painting style, he can't afford too expensive pigments. Siena ocher is brown before heating, and it turns reddish brown after heating.

  The Milan plague in 1630. At that time, someone witnessed a carriage appearing on the outskirts of Milan, followed by several people. The door lintels of every household in Milan were all smeared with blood on the second day after they appeared, and they looked terrifying.

  This time Milan was not as lucky as the Black Death in the 14th century, with heavy casualties.

  In 1494, several monks of our church, Savonarola, served as the spiritual and secular leaders of Florence and established the Republic of Florence. He burned many luxury goods that he considered immoral, and his sermons also targeted the then Pope Alexander VI and the Medici family.

The blazing fire that was lit on the Piazza del Town Hall in Florence was called "vanity fire". It included mirrors, cosmetics, portraits, pagan books, gambling games, lutes, women’s hats, etc., almost Books on Renaissance art, philosophy, and non-religion have been burnt. Including Botticelli, who once loved pagan themes, was obsessed with Savonarola's sermons in his later years, and personally threw his works into the fire.

Spices can be used not only to make perfume, but also to burn. Some people use it to smoke clothes, and some people put it in censers as supplies for religious ceremonies or to drive away diseases. The value of some spices was once the same as gold. Coupled with Marco Polo's travel notes, Westerners feel that the East is full of spices and gold.

  The Crusades brought back many books saved by the Saracens. They spent money and asked someone to translate them at the Library of Alexandria.

  In a church in Florence, a wax figure of Savonarola is stored. Many of his books about so-called pagans are about Greek gods. The Florentines quickly got bored, and some shops were forced to close because they violated his ban. The prosperous Florence fell into poverty all of a sudden, and with the arrival of 1500, the end times were not seen, so a group of people were in Savona. Lola was upset while preaching, and then there was a civil upheaval. He and his followers gradually left, and everything returned to normal.

The Latin Quarter is not only a university town, but also many bookstores. There are several rare bookstores on the street next to Luxembourg Gardens. From the bookstore windows, you can see the movement of the innocent fountain opposite, so Severus was in Ask Orlando to stop the carriage at the intersection and walk to one of the rare book shops.

  A clerk in a white shirt was sitting at the desk entering the door. He was writing something. He raised his head when he saw a guest coming and said hello to Severus.

   "Bonjour."

  Severus ignored him, looking at the bookshelves around him.

  The so-called rare books refer to precious or rare books or materials. The manuscript of the Declaration of Independence is written on ordinary paper, and its preciousness is mainly reflected in the content. And this rare book shop sells beautifully decorated books. When the set of bronzing books are arranged neatly, they look really impressive.

  People in the past put knowledge and books on the supremacy, and even used gold and gems to decorate them. When they are placed on the bookshelf that leads to the ceiling, they look like colorful mosaics.

   "Need help, sir?" the clerk said in English.

   "I want to see for myself first." Severus said patiently.

  So the clerk sat down again.

  He turned around between the bookshelves and found a convenient place to monitor, then took a book at random, and took it in the dark forest while pretending to be looking at it.

   There was nothing unusual there, as if all the ambushes had been evacuated.

  At this moment, he lowered his head and glanced at the book in his hand. It turned out to be a Decameron.

  Fringe brushing is a common craft in French rare book binding. The cover of the book is sheepskin, and the black background is hot with golden flowers and plants. Turning to the first page, there are prints printed on silk cloth. It is the scene of a group of young Florentine men and women telling stories.

  The page that Severus turned to tells the first story of the fourth day.

  The Prince of Salerno, Don Clay, was a kind and generous prince, but in his later years, his hands were stained with the blood of a couple. There are no three men and two women under his knees, only one independent princess. The prince really loves her in every way. Since ancient times, fathers have loved their daughters just like this; who would have thought that if he didn't raise this daughter, his late life might be Would be happier. Since the prince loves the princess so much, he has been reluctant to marry her regardless of delaying his daughter's youth; until later, he could no longer hide. Then she married the son of the Duke of Capua. Unfortunately, soon after the marriage, her husband died, she became a widow and returned to her father again.

  She is just in her youth, with a lively nature, her figure and appearance, she is very pretty, and she is quick-witted. It's a pity to be a woman. She lives in her father's palace, is pampered, and leads a luxurious life. Later, when she saw that her father loved her so much and didn't want to marry her again, she was embarrassed to speak, so she privately planned to find a man he likes to be his lover.

  In and out of her father's court. There are people in the upper and lower third class. She has observed the behavior of many men and saw a young attendant named Giscardo in front of her father, although she was born humble. But her character is noble and grandiose, she is indeed superior to everyone. She is very pleased, and she fell in love with him secretly. The young man was not a fool. He soon became aware of her mind and couldn't help being moved. He just missed her all day and left everything behind. It was not a day for the two of them to flirt with each other. The princess just wanted to find a chance to have a tryst with him.

  There is a mountain near the prince’s palace. There is a stone chamber excavated many years ago on the mountain. In the mountainside, another tunnel was dug at that time, and it passed through the cave with a glimmer of light. The stone room has been abandoned for a long time, so thorns and weeds are also growing at the exit of the tunnel, almost covering the entrance of the cave. In that stone room, there is a secret stone step that leads directly to the palace room. Between the stone step and the palace room, there is a heavy door between them. Open the door, and it is a room under the princess building. Because the cave has been abandoned for a long time, everyone has forgotten this stone level. But nothing can escape the lover's eyes, so he actually remembered it to the amorous princess.

  She didn't want anyone to know her secret, so she found a few tools and opened the door by herself. After several days of hard work, she finally opened the door. She ascended the stone steps and found the exit of the cave. She wrote down the topography of the tunnel and the approximate height of the entrance from the ground in the letter, asking Jiscardo to try to sneak into her palace through the tunnel.

  Kiskardo immediately prepared a rope with many knots in the middle and many laps in order to climb up and down. The next night, he wore a leather jacket so as not to be stabbed by thorns, so he sneaked to the foot of the mountain alone, found the hole, fastened one end of the rope to a sturdy tree stump, and followed it himself. The rope descended to the bottom of the cave and waited for the county lord there.

  The next day, the princess hypothesized that she was going to take a nap, so she sent out all the maids and locked them in her room alone. So she opened the hidden door, walked along the stone steps, down the cave, and she found Kiscarto, and both of them were overjoyed. The princess led him into his bedroom, where the two of them stayed for most of the day, really happy as gods. When they parted, the two agreed that everything should be done with caution and not let others know their personal affair. So Giscardo returned to the cave, and the princess locked the secret door and went to find her maid. When it got dark, Kiscarto climbed up the rope, exited the entrance of the hole, and returned to his residence. Since discovering this shortcut, the lovers have often trysts.

  Paper could not contain the fire after all. In the end, the prince knew about their affairs, and the angry prince yelled in anger.

   "Kiskardo, I usually treat you very well, but I don’t want to see you so bold today that I dare to ruin my daughter’s reputation!"

  Kiskardo didn't say a word, but answered him like this: "The power of love is not controlled by you or me."

The prince    ordered him to be closely guarded, and he was immediately imprisoned in a secret room in the palace.

When he saw his daughter in the evening, he started yelling again, "Yesmonda, I always thought you were dignified and steady, but I didn’t expect you to do this kind of thing: if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but listened to others to tell me, then it’s If you have a relationship with a man other than your husband, that is to say you have this desire, I will never believe it. I have reached the dying year, and I will not be able to live for a few years. I don’t want to encounter this kind of scandal, so I will never believe it. When I think about it later, I feel heartache! Even if you want to do such a shameless thing, my God, you have to pick a man who is worthy! How many princes and grandsons go in and out of my court, but you just like it. Giscardo-this is a lowly servant. It can be said that I have been relying on us since childhood to keep him in the palace. Your behavior really upsets me and I don't know how to send you off. As for Giscardo, as soon as he climbed out of the cave last night, I caught him and locked him up. I had my own way to deal with him. For you, God knows, I have no idea at all. On the one hand, I I'm so embarrassed to you. The world is a father and a daughter who loves you as much as I do. On the other hand, how can I not get angry when I think of you so frivolous? For good reason, then I have to forgive you; if I discuss the matter, I will not care about the feelings of flesh and blood, and must punish you heavily. However, before I make up my mind, I will listen to your own What to say."

After listening to her father's words, Ismonda knew that not only their personal affair had been exposed, but also Giscardo had been locked up. She felt an indescribable grief in her heart. She almost seemed to be like a normal woman several times. Weeping and screaming. She knew that her Kiscardo was bound to die, but the sublime love defeated the fragile feelings. With amazing willpower, she was calm and made up her mind. She would rather die than say a word for mercy. Therefore, in front of her father, she was not like a woman crying because she had made mistakes and was blamed, but she was fearless, without tears in her eyes, and without a sad face. She answered her father frankly and frankly:

"I am not going to deny this, nor do I want to ask you for forgiveness; because the first thing is not good for me, and the second thing is good. I don’t want to do it either. I don’t want you to look at your father and daughter either. To excuse me, no, I just need to tell the truth about the matter, defend my reputation with good reasons, and then use actions to resolutely respond to the great call of my soul. Yes, I really fall in love with it. For Jiskado, as long as I am alive-I am afraid that I will not live long-I will love him consistently. If people still love after death, then I will continue to love him after death. I will fall. Getting in love is not so much due to a woman’s weak will, but rather, because you don’t want to find me another husband, and at the same time for his respectability and loveliness. Some women are satisfied as long as they find a man at random, I But it’s not like that; I chose Giscardo among many men after a lot of observation and consideration, and deliberately teased him, and we both really enjoyed a lot of joy by acting carefully. I scolded, listening to your tone, I entered into an affair, and the crime is still minor; it’s just that I should never have a relationship with a lowly man, it’s as if I would find a grandson to be my lover. , Then you won’t be angry with me. This is totally unreasonable secular prejudice. You should not blame me, you have to blame, you can only blame the **** of destiny, why he always let those vulgar and incompetent people steal Remaining in a prominent and honorable position, instead burying those heroes of the world in the grass. Our souls are given by God, with the same function, the same effect, and the same virtue. We human beings are inherently equal. Yes, only character is the criterion for distinguishing human beings, and those who exert great talents and virtues can be regarded as “expensive”; otherwise, they can only be regarded as “cheap”. Although this most basic law is concealed by secular fallacies But it’s not just to be erased, it’s still revealed in people’s nature and behavior; therefore, anyone who has morals proves his nobleness. If such a person is said to be humble, then it’s not his. Wrong, but the fault of the person who treats him like this. When it comes to his character and talents, I don’t trust the judgment of others, I only trust your words and my own vision. Who has praised him several times and regarded him like you did? To be a talent? Really, your many praises are not without reason. If I did not misunderstand the person, I dare to say: He deserves everything you praise him. You think you praise him enough, but he is better than you. The compliment will win by three points. If I misunderstood him, then I was fooled by you."

  The furious prince ordered the two guards who guarded Giscardo to hang him privately, dig out his heart, and bring it to him. The two guards did exactly what he ordered.

The next day, the prince asked someone to take out an exquisite big golden cup and put the heart of Kiscardo in it. He also ordered his confidant servant to give the golden cup to the princess, and at the same time told him to preach: "Your father Wang because you use his most beloved things to comfort him, so now he also sends your most beloved things to comfort you."

   Let’s talk about Ismonda. After her father left, she was determined to ask someone to pick the poisonous root of the evil weed and fry it into venom. She was ready to use it at any time once her doubts became a reality. The attendant sent the Prince's gift and narrated the Prince's words. Without changing her face, she took the golden cup and opened it. There was a heart in it. She understood why the prince had to say this. At the same time, she also understood that this must be the heart of Kiscardo; so she Turning around and saying to the servant:

   "Only by using gold as a tomb can I not be wronged by this heart. My father has done it decently!"

   So she held the gold cup tightly, lowered her head, staring at the heart, and said: "Oh, you are my comfort zone, and all my happiness rests on you. The most cursed thing is that person's cruel behavior."

After speaking, she took out the bottle containing the venom that she had prepared yesterday, and saw that she picked up the bottle and poured it into the golden cup, pouring all the venom onto the tear-washed heart; so she was not afraid He lifted the golden cup to his mouth and drank the poison in one fell swoop. After drinking, she still held the gold cup in her hand, climbed on the embroidered table, and slept very peacefully, pressing the lover's heart on her own, silently, waiting for death to come.

When the prince heard her say this, his heart was cut, and he couldn't answer for a while.

  This is the ending of Kiskador and Ismonda, a pair of hard-to-fail lovers. It was useless for Tang Clay to cry, and it was too late to regret, so he buried the two of them together solemnly. The people of Salerno felt sad when they heard their deeds.

  A poet once said: I have always secretly imagined in my heart that heaven should be like a library.

  Voltaire put his heart in the library, and his body was buried in the Pantheon.

   "I'm sorry." Severus raised the rare book in Yang's hand and said to the clerk, "I want to buy this one."

   "Okay sir, is this this one?" the clerk said.

   "I'll look at it again." Severus said.

  After he finished talking, he went on shopping in the bookstore, as if he had forgotten the surveillance.

  (End of this chapter)